In recent years, in order to cope with the multiplication of the refrigerating system, and a plurality of circuits accompanied by the thinner diameter of the heating pipe of the heat exchanger, the refrigerant shunt is used, thus increasing in its importance.
Among the above described refrigerant shunts, copper made products are used, because they are more compacter, lower at cost, and easier to manufacture and mount
The above described conventional refrigerant shunt will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the shape of the conventional refrigerant shunt. FIG. 3 shows the condition of mounting the refrigerant shunt on the heat exchanger. FIG. 4 shows the refrigerant condition within the refrigerant shunt with the heat exchanger being operated in the refrigerating cycle. Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, a refrigerant shunt 1 is composed of a fluid inlet pipe 4 which is provided at its one end with a fluid inlet opening 2 and at its other end with a fluid outlet opening 3, a conical barrel 5 and a cylindrical barrel 6 continuous to the inlet pipe, and further, a plurality of fluid outlet pipes 9 each being provided at its one end with a fluid inlet opening 7 and at its other end with a fluid outlet opening 8. Reference numeral 10 is a branch portion of the refrigerant.
A heat exchanger 11 constitutes refrigerant circuits with refrigerant pipes 12. The shunt 1 is mounted on the side of the heat exchanger 11 so as to form a plurality of refrigerant circuits.
The refrigerant shunt composed as hereinabove described will be described hereinafter in its operation with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4.
The refrigerant A which flows through the refrigerating cycle, when it flows into the heat exchanger 11, flows into the shunt 1 which is above it, is branched, and is flowed into a plurality of refrigerant circuits composed of the refrigerant pipes 12. In the shunt 1, the refrigerant A which becomes two phase flows of a vapor phase A1 and a liquid phase A2, and is flowed from the fluid inlet opening 2 passes through the fluid inlet pipe 4, thereafter passes through the conical barrel 5, the cylindrical barrel 6. It is shunted into a plurality of fluid outlet pipes 9a, 9b in the branch portion 10. They flows out respectively into the refrigerant pipes 12a, 12b through the fluid outlet openings 8a, 8b. At this time, some portions of the refrigerant A does not flow out smoothly from the fluid outlet pipes 9a, 9b. Some portions of the liquid phase A2 collide, fall against the upper portion wall face of the cylindrical barrel 6, remain, circulate in the lower portion of the conical barrel 5 or the cylindrical barrel 6 so as to form the stagnant liquid. Similarly, some portions of the vapor phase A1 stay, circulate in the upper portion of the cylindrical barrel 6 so as to form the stagnant vapor.
In the above described construction, the refrigerant A is separated between the vapor and liquid with the vapor liquid proportion being unequal in the section thereof when it flows into the fluid inlet pipe 4 of the shunt 1. This condition continues even while it passes through the conical barrel 5 and the cylindrical barrel 6. The liquid face of the stagnant liquid is stirred by the inflowing two phase flows, with even the liquid phase amount to be accompanied from the liquid face becoming unequal. When the shunt 1 has been set to become inclined with respect to the vertical, the liquid phase A2 stayed within the shunt 1 flows more into the fluid outlet pipe 9 of the vertical bottom portion. Therefore, a problem is provided in that the equal branch flowing of the refrigerant A weight into the fluid outlet pipes 9a, 9b and further the refrigerant pipes 12a, 12b continuous to them cannot be provided in the branch portion 10.
The shunt 1 has a problem in that it necessarily becomes larger in size and higher in cost, because a plurality of fluid inlet pipes 9 are connected with one end thereof.